The Great Society NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(284 Ratings)

Positive

77%

Mixed

17%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing, Intelligent, Relevant

About the Show

Emmy winner Brian Cox stars as Lyndon B. Johnson in this companion piece to the Tony-winning "All The Way," which depicts the tumultuous times that led to the conclusion of the Johnson presidency.

From the show:

From the producer, writer, and director of the Tony Award®-winning Broadway production, All The Way, comes a thrilling new play about the LBJ legacy: The Great Society. Presented at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center, this striking production features a brilliant cast portraying over fifty characters, including Emmy® and Olivier Award winner Brian Cox (“Succession,” King Lear with the Royal Shakespeare Company) as LBJ, Tony nominee Marc Kudisch (“Billions,” A Minister’s Wife at LCT) as Richard J. Daley, Grantham Coleman (Much Ado About Nothing at The Public) as Martin Luther King Jr., and Tony nominee Richard Thomas (The Little Foxes) as Hubert Humphrey.

Show-Score Member Reviews (284)

Greatish

See it if You want to experience recent American history in an upscale environment.

Don't see it if You hate long historical tracts without a starry cast. Read more

Thought-provoking, Great staging, Great acting, Ambitious

See it if you lived through the LBJ years & want to understand some background.It's a terrific history lesson;I'm just not sure it's great theatre.

Don't see it if you want to be moved.Acting is uniformly brilliant,but there's very little heart here, very little story.I wanted more humanity,less lecture

Relevant, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if you enjoy recognizing that governing is always hard and humans are just pathetic. Makes today feel a little less awful.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy history. I was just a kid during the time period of the play, and I loved the insights gained from my mature perspective!

Resonant, Relevant, Ambitious, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if If you lived through the 60's, care about politics and the inner machinations of significant change and policy, if you're a history buff

Don't see it if if you need gripping plot, have no interest in or conversely need deep dive into major changes of the 60's & the people who shaped them

Thought-provoking, Relevant, Great staging, Ambitious, Absorbing

See it if You like Shakespeare history plays, but with American protagonists . ..and no attempt at poetry

Don't see it if You have no affinity for history or have a limited attention span .

Talky, Requires background history, Strong acting, Relevant, Intelligent

See it if you like history plays. TGS boasts a huge cast & clever staging. All the Way ends w a win; TGS w a loss. Focus on Vietnam, civil rts, power.

Don't see it if you want a perfect script. TGS is slow (long, talky) AND frenetic (short scs). Needs cuts, char devt. Cox is blustery. Great actors wasted.

Intelligent, Great acting, Riveting, Thought-provoking

See it if you're interested in seeing some standout performances covering the political landscape of LBJ's second term.

Don't see it if you want something flashy with fantastic staging, or you're uninterested in a sprint through key moments of the politics of the 1960s.

Resonant, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Dizzying, Ambitious

See it if Interested in Politics, History or LBJ. Like thought provoking shows that explore history. Tour de Force by Brian Cox. Enjoy complex shows

Don't see it if Don't like long shows with lots of dialogue. Want something light and fluffy or a musical.

Critic Reviews (25)

Trailer

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